Belarusians took the lead after the first programme event of fencing, with 26 match wins. In the swimming and horse riding, Yekaterina Orel and Ilya Polozkov both finished sixth but, in their sum of points across all events, remained at the top of the tournament ratings.
In the combined event of running and shooting, Belarusian pentathletes came third, but gained enough points to celebrate their first ever win in the World Cup mixed relay finals.
After the awards ceremony, Yekaterina Orel and Ilya Polozkov admitted, “We were delighted to have managed a secure leadership from the first event until the last. We performed well in fencing and that motivated us to carry on, making further events easier. The Irish were among our strongest rivals, having many times confirmed their lead in mixed relays. We’re glad to have surpassed them. Of course, our fans helped us. It’s also been an advantage to have performed at home in such a high level competition. This has been the best ever tournament for us as regards organisation.”
By Kirill Karin
